


Arrested

by saltedearthsch



Series: The Raven and The Nightingale [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22087711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltedearthsch/pseuds/saltedearthsch
Summary: sidurgu and sumire are terrible communicators.
Relationships: Sidurgu Orl/Original Character(s), Sidurgu Orl/Warrior of Light
Series: The Raven and The Nightingale [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578472
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, I'm a sap and Amanda suggested this scenario at one am a few weeks ago and I haven't been able to let it go. So here it is.

“Lady Oshiga?” Firmien leaned through the entry, peering into the rooms afforded to his master’s ward. Sunlight framed her slim form where it sat at her desk, tearing her gaze from the wide picture windows to glance curiously at him. “A letter just arrived for you.”

She sighed. “Is it him again?”

The steward grimaced. “I would assume so, as it was accompanied by this.” He brandished a bouquet of blue tulips, Sumire’s favorite, alongside the parchment envelope in his hand. Rising, she smiled wearily and crossed the room to gently take them from him.

“Thank you Firmien.” A nod and he closed the door behind him to leave her alone with the correspondence. Without looking she knew precisely who had sent it and tore it open without much thought. She was even less surprised to find flowering script composed into a poem within.

_When thou art weary, I’ll find thee a bed,_

_Of mosses, and flowers, to pillow thy head;_

_There, beauteous Sumire, I’ll sit at thy feet,_

_While my story of love I enraptur’d repeat--_

The parchment and flowers found their way to the pile growing on one of her side tables, and Sumire turned to leave the room without even glancing over the remaining stanzas. For a few weeks now she had been regularly receiving gifts and notes from an admiring bard. He was sweet enough, surely, and were she anyone else she would probably swoon at the sweet words his letters contained. But her skepticism whether the words were genuine or merely a product of her status notwithstanding, she knew that no matter who was behind them she would feel nothing in return.

She had been doing a well job, she thought, of keeping her true affections secret from most. On one hand she could count those to whom she had willfully divulged the secret, though she was nigh on certain that others had begun to guess. It seemed that with time, the depths of her feelings had only grown, and leaked out into her daily life. She needed to get a handle on things, before she gave in completely.

Following this logic, it made no sense for her steps to carry her to the Aethernet shard outside Fortemps Manor, and from there to the Forgotten Knight. It followed that she should not cross the square into the dimly lit pub and find the familiar table in the corner where two of her closest companions sat, as always. They glanced up at her approach, the Elezen girl grinning widely at her.

“Sumire!” The other blonde’s eyes twinkled. “What brings you here?”

“I need a drink,” she deadpanned, waving at the bartender. Gibrillont rolled his eyes but started filling a tankard for her anyway. Unlike her fellow dark knight seated at the table, she was not known for drinking with any sort of frequency, so her choice to do so now meant she was in a particularly sour mood. When she returned with the ale, they regarded her with varying levels of curiosity.

“Did… something happen?” 

Sumire took several pulls of ale and then allowed her body to flop onto the table, staring at her friends miserably. “That bard sent me another letter. And more flowers.” 

Sidurgu made a choking sound, and Rielle giggled. 

“Awww, he really does like you, huh? Have you responded at all?” 

Sumire groaned again, burying her face in her arms. “No, and I don’t plan to. I’m hoping if I just ignore him he’ll sort of… lose interest and go away.” Rielle sighed in exasperation.

“You need to tell him _something_. If you don’t, he’ll just keep thinking she has a chance,” she glanced at Sidurgu. “Right, Sid?” The Xaela froze as the attention turned to him, swallowing his mouthful of ale.

“Um,” he said eloquently. “Yes?” The girls giggled.

“Besides, isn’t it nice to have someone showering you in affection?” 

“I suppose so,” Sumire grumbled. Rielle patted her shoulder gently.

“So just enjoy it! You can always refuse him.” A slam resounded through the table, followed by the scrape of a chair. They watched in surprise as Sidurgu stood and stormed off toward the inn attached to the tavern. When the doors had swung shut behind him, they looked at each other. He had always been rather temperamental, but this was unusual even for him.

“I should head back to the manor,” Sumire sighed eventually. It was no use hiding out from an encounter she wished to avoid.

* * *

Trudging across the stone streets, Sidurgu reflected that perhaps this was a ridiculously bad idea. Truly he had no place interfering with Sumire’s love life, however much of it there was to even trifle with. But it was plain to see that she was tiring of this bard’s games, and as one of her closer companions, it followed that he would have better insight to wooing her than some hack bard off the street. After all, he wished for nothing if not her happiness.

And certainly not to rub into this man’s face that he knew the Warrior better than he.

His steps slowed as the entry of Fortemps Manor became clearer through the haze of snow and ale. The usual posted guards were suspiciously absent, hastening his gait once more as unbidden concern rose up in him. As he drew closer, however, he realized that it was not for the want of protection that they had vacated their posts, but privacy. A few paces from the door stood Sumire, and the bard in question. The latter was gesturing wildly as she looked on in disinterest. Several steps more, and their words were audible.

“Will thou truly not grant me the pleasure of thy company, Lady Oshiga?” The bard was pleading, voice sugar sweet as he wheedled. Other girls may have swooned but his little bird stood fast, her displeasure obvious to him even as she smiled gently at him.

“My apologies, sir,” she said evenly, polite and kind as ever he’d seen her, though her jaw was set as she grit her teeth. “But unfortunately my feelings lie with another.” The bard frowned, contemplating.

“And there is nothing more I could do to sway you?” Sidurgu found himself grinding his own teeth at the look that took over her face, and his persistence.

“I’m sorry. But though he may not love me in return, all I am will be his. Even if he sends me away.” A sound like something snapping echoed in the dark knight’s mind at her words. He had always known that someone claimed her heart that was not him, but to hear her so sad at their expense, so resigned, made his skin itch with irritation. Who did this person think they were to reject her? What an absolute idiot!

The rest of the conversation was lost to the haze of anger slowly building through him, his feet already carrying him away from the manor. As soon as she’d said the words, a number of possible culprits had sprung into mind, and he would be damned if he didn’t get an answer from at least one of them.

* * *

Sighing, Sumire watched as the bard bid her farewell, now another among the scant few to whom she had told the truth of her affections. She had hoped to avoid such a discussion, but it seemed the only way to placate him into leaving her be was to be truthful. Now she could only pray he didn’t go spreading the news about. That was the last thing she needed.

Just as she had turned heel to go inside and hide from Ishgard for a time, footsteps sounded on the stones again and she sighed with exasperation.

“I already told you, please--”

“Lady Oshiga!” To her equal surprise and mortification, the visitor was not, in fact, the bard returned, but a knight whose armor she recognized as being of Ser Aymeric’s order. That did not bode well.

“What’s going on?”

“Apologies, my lady,” the knight gasped out, clearly having run full tilt until now, “but the Lord Commander bade me fetch you at once.” 

“Whatever for? Is something amiss?” The knight shook their head.

“He did not divulge details, ma’am, except that it was something he would need your help with immediately. He’s at the cells.” Surprise flickered across her face. The cells? What could Aymeric possibly need her help with there?

“Lead the way, then,” she prompted.

There had been no previous occasion which prompted Sumire to visit the jails of Ishgard, where criminals were held and interrogated if not given an immediate sentencing by the adjudicators. Even when Alphinaud and Tataru had been taken in, she had only seen them at the Tribunal floor. As such, she stuck close behind the knight as they made their way through the city. Aymeric was waiting just inside, and offered her and her guide a tired smile.

“Sumire, I’m glad you could make it,” he greeted. He exchanged a brief salute before the knight left them alone and she followed him as he began to make his way down the rows of cells.

“Is everything alright? I had not truly expected you to summon me like this.” 

“Apologies. I had hoped to avoid dragging you into any of our internal affairs unless necessary, but I think this one requires your touch in particular.”

“How so?”

“It concerns Sidurgu.” A cold feeling of anxiety washed over her. It was no secret that Sidurgu’s path of justice often brought him to odds with the other entities of Ishgard’s government, but he had always managed to stay away from being taken in for his actions. “Word reached me that he has been going about inciting fights with several people. If another guard hadn’t caught him in the act, I fear Estinien may have beaten him nearly to death.” 

They had come to a stop outside a particular cell, and sitting inside looking even more irate than usual was her raven. His armor was missing and he boasted quite a few more cuts and bruises than she was accustomed to, but there was no mistaking him. Sidurgu looked up when they stopped, but said nothing.

“Could you speak to him? Please? I do not want to be wiping any more blood off the streets so soon after Ishgard has won her peace.” Sumire nodded.

“I will.” Aymeric unlocked the door, and she slipped inside.

“What are you doing here?” Sidurgu grumbled as she knelt in front of him. With a simple flip of her soul stones, she swapped to Scholar and summoned Eos, beginning to work on healing the evidence of his altercations.

“I should ask you that,” she replied primly. “What in the world were you thinking? You should know Estinien will never back down from a challenge unless he has to.” Sid scoffed.

“He would have deserved it.” She frowned, jerking her hands away and he hissed at the sting as the spell slipped from healing to not so much. 

“Why were you even trying to fight him?” Sidurgu sighed and looked away.

“I overheard you earlier, at Fortemps Manor.” 

She froze, blood running cold. “What?”

“When you were speaking to that bard. You told him that you were in love with someone who did not return your feelings.” 

“Wh-why would you… why would that mean you need to fight half of Ishgard?”

“Because I wished to teach a lesson to the idiot who would think themselves too good for you and your affections.” 

Swallowing thickly, she cast Whispering Dawn and stood, turning away from the knight. Her heart pounded in her throat, knowing he had overheard her, that he had gone so far for her. It was dangerous knowledge that gave her far too much hope. Inhaling deeply, she smothered it and pushed the feelings back.

“It wasn’t your place to do that,” she remarked coolly. Behind her, he scowled and stood, glaring.

“You’re my friend, and I care about your happiness. Why shouldn’t I defend that?” 

Whirling, she jabbed a finger at him. “You were fighting the wrong people, for no reason, in my name! I appreciate the sentiment, but you nearly got killed for it! What would have been the point then?” She swallowed nervously as he stepped forward, looming over her.

“What I choose to do is my decision. If it bothers you so, however, I’ll refrain from doing so going forward.” 

The ice in his voice made her step back, startled. She knew it was ridiculous, that they were fighting so vaguely in a cell because of idiotic feelings she had been so spectacularly failing at holding back, and yet the hurt at his tone was visceral.

“It’s not about that! It’s--”

“It’s what?” 

She made a study of her shoes. “It’s because _you_ were the one I was talking about.”

“I don’t follow.” Sumire groaned and hid her face in her hands.

“With the bard, the one I said would never love me in return. I was talking about _you!_ ” He stared at her, and suddenly she could no longer keep the words back. “Because I know you, and I know that you don’t do that sort of thing because of your work, so I kept it to myself. And I know admitting this is going to make everything complicated, which is why I didn’t say anything, but don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything, and we can pretend like this never happened, and I’ll disappear from Ishgard for a while so things don’t have to be even more awkward than they already are.” Her jaw snapped shut, and she peeked up to see him staring at her, dumbfounded.

“Sumire, I…” Feeling the hot sting of tears in her eyes, she turned toward the door.

“I’ll speak with Aymeric. He’ll release you.” And then she rushed from the cell. Aymeric was waiting around the corner and his worry was evident when he saw the look on her face. “Let him out. Please. He won’t be doing anything else for now.”

Sumire did not bother with trying to retrace her steps back to Fortemps Manor. Even knowing that it was disallowed in the city, she summoned a lanner and took to the sky, speeding past the other districts until she reached The Last Vigil. The guards outside had the grace to look only mildly perturbed as the over-large bird landed before them, but quickly opened the door to let her inside as she dismissed it.

Her prayers to go unnoticed went unanswered with the appearance of Edmont in the foyer. The former count took one look at her shaking form and beckoned her forward. Dropping her usual formalities, she dashed into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder as he gently patted her back. When she had calmed down enough to breathe, she pulled away, mumbling apologies.

“I’ll be in my room,” she rasped and he nodded, asking no explanation.

“I’ll have Firmien bring you some tea, my dear.” 

And she disappeared down the hall, cradling her breaking heart.

* * *

“I can’t _believe_ you just stood there!” Snow and street crunched beneath both their shoes as Sidurgu rushed across the city, swearing under his breath and doing his best to ignore the Elezen girl behind him. Ever since he’d returned to the Knight and told Rielle what had occurred, she had been berating him for it. She had also illuminated him that it was _she_ who had hired the bard to ~~pester~~ woo Sumire, in hopes that it would spur him into action (albeit not the kind that he had eventually taken), so he was decidedly ignoring her because of both accounts.

For the second time he strode down the street toward House Fortemps, but with much more anxiety swirling through him, knowing what he was about to do. Everything about their lives would change in a few moments if it all went well -- and even if it didn’t, he imagined, though he hoped for a more positive outcome. The guards snapped to attention at their approach but he brushed past them and up the steps. 

“Sir, you can’t-!” 

Edmont de Fortemps was standing in the foyer speaking with the steward when the door burst open, Sidurgu ignoring the protests to stride up to the elder man. Rielle’s earlier bravado dissipated in an instant, muttering apologies for the intrusion and hovering nervously behind him.

“Third down on the right down the hall,” Edmont said without missing a beat, gesturing to a door behind him. Eyes lighting on Rielle, he smiled and then muttered something to the steward before turning back to them. “I’ll watch over the child.” Rielle made a noise of protest but with a look from Sidurgu sat herself down, sighing dramatically.

“Don’t mess up this time!” She called to his back.

Several maids and servants that were bustling about the halls stepped out of his way as he stormed toward the room Edmont had indicated. He reached it just as another maid was stepping out with a full tea service in her hands, which she nearly dropped at the sight of the Xaela, staring at him with wide eyes. It occurred to him just then that he more than likely had a black look on his face, and cleared his throat.

“Is she in there?” He asked, hoping his voice was a touch gentler. She nodded quickly.

“Yes sir,” she squeaked. 

“Thank you.” The maid curtsied quickly and then rushed back the way he had come. He knocked on the door.

“Firmien, please,” Sumire’s voice answered, and the way it choked and broke felt like a knife to his gut, “I just want to be left alone.”

“Sumire? It’s me.” Silence stretched on so long he wondered if perhaps she was escaping out the window or something just to avoid him. 

“Leave,” she said, though it sounded more like a plea. 

“Please, nightingale, let me in. I just want to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, remember? Nothing happened.”

“Sumire,” he growled, pounding his fist on the door with a sigh, “just let me in. Please.” The silence came again, and he waited. A few moments later, the sound of a key in the lock sounded, and he stepped back as she opened the door a sliver.

“Why are you here?”

“To talk.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“That’s too bad.” He pushed on the door, and she squeaked with surprise but let him open it enough to step inside, then close the door behind him. The room beyond was more sparse than he would have expected of her, but he only had a moment to look it over before she moved to stand by the desk, blatantly facing away from him.

“Speak, since you were so insistent.” She tried to sound strong, but he could see the way her knuckles were white where she gripped the wood and hear the way her voice cracked nervously. Huffing, he leaned against her wall, keeping the space between them so as not to spook her. 

“Back in the cells, you told me I was the one you were in love with,” he started, preamble left to the wind, and she flinched visibly, “and you said that I would not return your feelings.”

“Yes,” she said thickly.

“You poured your heart out to me, and I stood there saying nothing.”

“I remember.” He took a few steps towards her.

“I wanted to apologize, since I’m sure that led you to believe something that wasn’t true.” It was the coward’s way out, this dance around the truth he wanted to address. But even after her declarations, a part of him was still lamenting the notion that he would open himself up and she would laugh in his face, claiming it all to be some cruel joke. And she did turn to face him, features marred with evidence of her sorrow, and he wanted to hold her like he had in the other moments of her anguish, but he held still.

“Believe what? That I was right all along? That I was stupid to tell you the one thing that would ruin everything between us? I’m not stupid, Sidurgu, I knew what telling you would mean for us.”

“And what do you think it means?” A tortured sound eked out of her and she backed away again, jumping slightly when her hip collided with the wood.

“What I think doesn’t matter,” she snapped bitterly. “Did you come here just to torment me further? I do not need you to tell me what mistakes I’ve made, I’m doing that well enough on my own.” 

He kicked her chair out of the way, ignoring the mild crash as it tumbled to the floor. She still refused to look at him, making study of the grains in the desk even as he placed his hands atop it on either side of her, caging her in. “Nightingale, look at me.” Another pained sound.

“Don’t call me that. Please. It just makes this worse.” He leaned in and she leaned back, but there was nowhere to escape to.

“ _Sumire_.” At the command that had entered his voice, her gaze met his amidst cheeks red from more than just her tears. Steeling himself, he raised one hand and cupped her face gently, almost embarrassed himself at the relief when she didn’t immediately pull away. “I’m sorry for making you think your assumptions about us were true. Your words in that cell took me by surprise, and in the moment it rendered me unable to correct you.”

“What?” The look on her face was a fragile mix of fear and hope, and having never been as talented with words as she, he decided action would be better. Closing the distance between them, he covered her quivering lips with his own, firm and insistent. She stood frozen for a heartbeat before her eyes slid shut and hesitantly allowed herself to kiss him back. It was a kiss of uncertainty on both sides, gentle but barely more than the meeting of mouths. Unwilling to push her further he pulled away after a few moments, leaning his forehead against hers.

“You _were_ right that I do not normally do this sort of thing. You were right that this complicates things immensely for both of us,” he mumbled, and he could feel her sharp intake of breath as he pressed another kiss to her nose. “But you were more wrong than you can imagine when you said I would never return your affections.” He kissed her forehead. “I have cared for you far longer than you know, loved you almost since we met. Like you, I had thought it better to keep the feelings secret. You are Eorzea’s radiant warrior, so steeped in light I have no right to wish to have you walk the shadows with me. Yet with each passing day, I have craved nothing more than to see you by my side.

“It may be foolish, this affection for you, but you were so inconceivably wrong when you said that I would never love you in return. If you would accept my apology, I would do nothing else until the day you tire of me.” His confession was met with silence, and he prepared to leave her be, act as if this whole mess of an evening had never happened. Then her eyes opened, and though they still held the sheen of tears from earlier, a slight smile danced on her lips.

“So what you’re saying is,” and he could hear the teasing lilt though her voice wavered, “you’re in love with me?” He huffed.

“Yes. Need I make it more obvious?” Her face turned contemplative.

“I could use some more convincing.” 

He chuckled. “If the lady commands.”

“I do.” So he tilted her face back to his, and this time she eagerly pressed into him the moment his lips met hers. Her fingers scrabbled for purchase on his armor, sliding uselessly against the smooth metal, standing on her toes to reach him as much as she could. Chuckling into her mouth, he grasped her waist and lifted her onto the desk to ease the distance between them. The crunch of parchment and flora went unnoticed as she tangled her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer by hooking her heels about his hips and tugging insistently.

“Slow down, little bird,” he laughed, pulling away enough to see the way her blown out pupils searched his face. With a sigh, he buried his face in her shoulder, and held her close, disbelieving. She clung to him in return, twined around him like a clinging vine.

“What now?” She asked after a few moments, and he hummed.

“I’m not sure.” A thought occurred to him, and he grimaced, pulling back to look her more seriously in the eye. “Do you wish for us to keep things secret?”

“No!” Flushing at how quickly she’d replied, she cleared her throat. “Unless you’re ashamed to be the lover of the Warrior of Light.”

“I should think the one to be ashamed would be you. You’re a daughter of a high house now, essentially, and many other things beside, keeping the company of a dark knight.” She scoffed.

“If any of those things mattered to me, I wouldn’t be consorting with you in my private quarters.” Her voice turned more somber. “I’ve hidden myself and my feelings long enough. I don’t wish to draw you unwilling into the spotlight with me, but neither do I want to make a secret of you. I intend to stay with you as long as you’ll have me, and I will not be made to conceal a part of my life so important to me.” 

He kissed her forehead again. “If that’s what you want, nightingale.” 

She nodded, blush still lingering on her cheeks. “It is.” 

He swept her up off the desk, and she wrapped herself around him as he crossed the room to her bed, setting her down on it. She stared back at him, lip caught between her teeth nervously. “What are you doing?”

“Consorting with you in your private quarters,” he purred as he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, near her horn. “With your permission, of course.”

She laughed shakily, moving subtly to center herself on the mattress.

“Permission granted.” And he grinned, kissing her again even as he reached for the straps on his armor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poem is an excerpt from "To Emma" by John Keats! Points to anyone who recognized it. ;3
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! This took me forever because I kept getting emotionally overwhelmed because wow I love these two. I uh may put the "consorting" into another chapter if I can actually handle it LOL
> 
> If you want more sappy headcanons, angst, and memes, check me out on Twitter @saltedearthsch


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they consort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long to write!! i kept having to write in bits and come back to it until it was finally done. i hope you like it!!
> 
> THIS CHAPTER IS PURE SMUT!!!! (and some soft things)  
> LOOK AWAY NOW IF YOU HAVE INNOCENT EYES!!

A state of disbelief had settled over Sumire. For so long now she had kept secret the nature of her cravings for the man currently tossing his armor onto the floor of her chambers. At some point she had convinced herself that the things her mind dreamed up in the dark and primal hours would never come to pass, had locked the thoughts away as mere fantasy revisited when she was lonely. Yet here he was, making declarations of love and reaching for the clasp on her own blouse. The snap of it brought her back to the moment, eyes wide as they regarded him and he halted.

“Are you alright?” How could she convey the emotions flooding her right now? Suddenly she was so overwhelmed by them all that she could hardly stop it as tears she’d been holding at bay began sliding down her cheeks. Sidurgu’s face turned startled and the hands on her clothes cupped her cheeks instead as he examined her.

“S-Sorry,” she hiccuped.

“We don’t have to do this.” 

“It’s not that.” With shaking hands she drew his from her face and held them. “I’m happy, and scared, and frankly still not completely convinced I won’t wake up to an empty room again.” His tenderness as he rested his forehead on hers surprised her.

“I can say as many pretty words as you like to assuage you, little bird, but I think _action_ will be of more help. May I?” 

“Yes.” 

He smiled at her briefly, then kissed her. Unlike before, this kiss was one of hunger, a threat to consume her that she all too willingly gave into. Her pulse quickened as his tongue slid across her lips, taking advantage of the gasp that escaped her as his fingers found the skin beneath her shirt. One hand stopped on her back, just above her tail, and pressed against her to draw her even closer to him. It was almost unfair, she thought, how easily he melted her.

Sidurgu Orl was now the most dangerous person in Eorzea, able to render the Warrior of Light powerless with a single touch.

When he finally let her free, she was lightheaded with the need for air and him in equal measure, skin flushed and thoughts hazy with nothing else. It made her happier than she would have guessed to see the same heat in his eyes, and to know that she was not the only one so affected by this moment. Leaning in she kissed him again, briefly, before moving away.

His eyes followed as she sat back on her heels, reaching for the hem of her shirt. The excitement of his attention made her heart race but she steeled her nerves and stripped the garment from her body, tossing it away. Keeping her eyes on the sheets, she stretched as she pushed her leggings off, kicking them to the floor when they reached her ankles. Bravado faded quickly however when she reached for her small clothes, pausing at the clasp of her brassiere.

“Let me.” And she turned so his fingers could replace hers, gently undoing the clasps and letting it fall before reaching for the last vestiges of her modesty. He brushed the scales on her hips and she inhaled sharply, tensing against the nervous thrill that went through her. As if he could sense her anxiety, he instead slid his touch across those scales where they trailed down her outer thighs. The gentle caresses soon worked their intended magic, and she felt her fluttering nerves wind down into quiet desire.

“I’m okay,” she whispered once she was sure of it, and he gave her only a brief moment to change her mind before he was tugging her underwear off as well. 

Before the nerves of suddenly realizing her vulnerability could settle in, he pulled her flush against him with one hip, already beginning to explore her newly revealed skin. She leaned against him, letting her eyes slide shut and forcing her mind to focus only on the feel of his touch. Though he wasn’t rough, he was eager and she could almost feel the frenzy leaping from his nerves to hers where one hand splayed across her stomach and the other slid up her sternum.

An unexpected sound of want, she might even dare to call it a _mewl,_ tore up her throat when he moved his hands to slide across her chest. His touch was still gentle as before, as if afraid he might startle her or she may change her mind. The low kindling fire in her veins leapt to her belly and another soft noise, this of complaint, sounded as she arched her back.

Sumire could feel more than hear his chuckle as it thundered in his chest. “Are you that eager, nightingale? I thought you were afraid.” 

She found the nerve through her desire to glare up at him. “Hush.” She braced herself with one hand on his arm and leaned up to rake her tongue along his horn. He hissed, momentarily forgetting himself in surprise and his hands squeezed her body as if her flesh might keep him grounded. 

“Who taught you to be so bold?” He taunted, sliding his hands to her hips. Bracing one knee on the mattress, he pulled her up, bringing her to eye level as she straddled his thigh. 

She smirked. “You did.” His answering grin was nearly feral and it sent a thrill down her spine. She was granted only a moment to enjoy it, however, as the next he had one hand in her hair, pressing her mouth to his as the other slid across her stomach and disappeared between her thighs.

The small gasp of surprise as his finger slid into her was lost across his tongue. For all the fervent hunger he conveyed, he was gentle as he entered her, ever cautious that she might stop him. But the moment their lips parted for air she couldn’t keep herself from moaning as his thumb brushed against the center of the swirling heat inside her. 

Content that she was enjoying his attention, his touch grew more insistent. He let a second finger stretch her further, moving quicker as her breath hitched again. What had started as gentle encouragement to her clitoris became an insistent urging, driving the tension in her body further with every touch. There was little she could do but lean against him, hips attempting to meet his every movement and gasping moans escaping her when she could find the air to breathe.

“S-Sid,” she managed when the sensations became almost overwhelming, her mind fuzzy and muscles tense. Sumire could hardly tell if she wanted him to stop or shove her over the edge into the pleasure that lurked so close. 

He made the decision for her, tilting her mouth back to his as he sped his movements further, holding her in place without any real force. It took only a few more moments before she gasped against his lips and arched as her body searched for a way to escape the overwhelming feeling. He held her as the waves slowly ebbed, murmured encouragements as she whimpered and moaned until her muscles finally loosened and she found they felt rather like water.

“Are you alright?” His hand on her stomach had begun to soothe gentle circles across her skin, the other sliding carefully from her. She shivered a bit against him as the aftershocks dissipated but managed to nod. He pressed a kiss to her hair and then another to her cheek before helping her slide off him and onto the bed once more. “We can stop here, if you want.”

The words brought her attention back to him, to the memory of stiff flesh against the back of her thigh as he brought her to climax and her eyes dropped. When she looked at him again, she shook her head.

“No.” She reached for him, and he kneeled carefully on the bed between her legs. “I don’t want to. I just need a moment.” Her arms wound around his shoulders, holding him close as she contemplated the permission she was giving him.

“Are you certain?” At the quiet anxiety in his voice, Sumire pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. It was in his eyes too, that ghost of fear that had dogged both their steps since they’d met. It would be some time, she mused, before they were ever truly rid of it - maybe they never would be. But all she could do in this moment was reassure him of her choice, so she held his face and smiled gently before pressing a chaste kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“More than I have been of anything,” she whispered. 

It was as if the words broke a dam in him. With a low growl he captured her lips again, careful to keep himself from crushing her beneath him as he shoved his trousers out of the way. In a bizarre moment of clarity, Sumire realized it was one of the few times she had ever seen him without his armor. He parted from her to divest himself of his remaining garments and she watched in admiration. She had seen Sid in several states of injury, as he had her, but the ever-guarded knight had rarely let her see him so completely. Without thinking, she reached up and slid one hand across his stomach and up his chest. It paused over his heart, and she smiled when she felt it racing as much as her own.

Sidurgu took her wrist and lifted her palm to his lips. “This may hurt a bit, love,” he murmured into her skin. She reached up with her other arm as well.

“I’ll be okay. Just go slow, please?” 

He chuckled and wrapped her in his arms, holding her close. “I’ll do my best.” And she buried her face in his neck as he slid into her.

A sharp gasp escaped her and she tensed for a moment as he murmured something assuring into her hair. When she relaxed again, he moved once more, pushing the rest of the way into her body. Sumire did her best to focus on the foreign feeling of him filling her instead of the lingering pain, until it had faded almost completely.

“Can I move, nightingale?” Sid rasped. Hearing the strain in his own voice gave her a quiet victorious feeling, but she chose not to dwell on it.

“Yes,” she answered, fingers curling around his shoulders as he began to thrust. Slowly, at first, until she seemed accustomed to the motion, the last of the pain giving way to dull pleasure. He let her fall back into the mattress, still holding loosely to him, as he braced himself against the wall with one hand, grunting softly as he moved faster now.

Sumire was almost surprised how quickly the pleasure stole over her after that. It buzzed across her nerves, finer than any wine in Ishgard, and filled any space it could find in her body. The groans and praises falling from Sid’s lips only fueled her, and she wrapped her legs around him too, desperate for more, moaning when it forced him deeper into her and the scales on his hips rubbed against her skin with each thrust.

“Sumire,” he whispered, bending down to kiss her like he was drowning. She kissed back just as fiercely, nails digging into his shoulders as she strained to close any remaining distance between them. He had said her name before, in a million ways, but the raw desire in his voice now overwhelmed her. He was hers, finally, and wanted her like she had always hoped. 

His movements quickened further, driving into her so much she thought she might break, that same clenching of her muscles stealing over her once more. He groaned above her, hips stuttering before with one final movement he tensed, and when he moaned her name into her skin again, she followed suit soon after.

An immeasurable time passed before Sumire could blink the stars from her vision and her breathing settled enough to be grounding. Sidurgu lay next to her, far enough to not crush her beneath him, but close enough she was able to reach for him and feel his lips against her fingers.

It wasn’t until his own bleary eyes cleared with concern and he was swiping at her cheeks that she realized she had cried again at some point. She chuckled with embarrassment. “Sorry.”

He pulled her to him, cradling her against his chest. “So long as it wasn’t what just transpired that upset you.”

Color rose to her cheeks as she thought back to what had happened mere moments ago. “No! I… I think I was happy.” She kissed his jaw. “I _am_ happy.”

“As am I.” She glanced up at him in surprise and he laughed. “What, did you think me incapable of it?” A giggle escaped her as well.

“I think the only time I saw you happy was laying into moogles on Zenith!” They both chuckled at the memory, and then he buried his face in her hair, sighing with a sound she had rarely heard from him: contentment.

“Rest assured, nightingale, I do know happiness. But it was you who reminded me of it. And I am the happiest I have been, right now, with you.” Sumire was suddenly glad the flame in her cheeks wasn’t visible to him. Sidurgu being so open with her would take some getting used to.

“I feel the same.” The sound that rumbled through him almost sounded pleased and she smiled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I haven't written proper smut in like an age and a half so I hope you enjoyed ;w;
> 
> If you want more sappy headcanons, angst, and memes, check me out on Twitter @saltedearthsch


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